February 2015 Transverse Abdominus

TRANSVERSE ABDOMINUS

Most of you already know I am a total NERD for muscles, but I LOVE this one!  This muscle is the deepest abdominal muscle in our body, underneath all the other core muscles, but it hardly gets any attention. Most everyone knows about the "Obliques” on our sides, and the one in front that makes the 6-pack, “Rectus Abdominus”, but “Transverse Abdominus” is the most important one, in my opinion, and some people aren’t aware that it exists!  Transverse Abdominus (TVA) is a ginormous muscle, spanning from the bottom of our spine (Lumbar vertebrae 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1) wrapping around (transversely) both of our sides, connecting to the top of our pelvis from back to front, running over the top of Rectus (like a kangaroo pouch) and then attaches to the middle connective tissue of our abdomen, known as the “linea alba”.  That's just the lower fibers!!  This dandy’s upper fibers extend up the entire front of the abdomen underneath Rectus, and ends it’s journey connecting into all the lower front ribs, near the bottom of our breastbone. Phew!!  Now that’s a dandy, am I right???

So, now that you know where it is…what does TVA do for you??  Well, tons of stuff, actually.  This muscle functions as an “internal girdle” for keeping our abdominal organs in place, helps to promote the important process of carrying and delivering a baby, and is used to remove the “junk” out from our digestive system through elimination.  On a more fun note, TVA is the main muscle that contracts during a belly laugh!  How about keeping our pelvis in a stable position? Well, we can thank the TVA for that one too. With a stable lower spine and pelvis, our arms have the proper neurological recruitment patterns for efficient upper body movements.  If that isn’t enough, there’s more!! By contracting the lower fibers of this guy, we can twist our pelvis and trunk/spine to the same side. By contracting the upper fibers, we can twist our ribcage and spine to the opposite side.   This muscle also helps us to bend our trunk to the side, as well as flex or bend it forward when we touch our toes, or do an abdominal “crunch.” This is one busy muscle!

How do we isolate this lovely muscle?  Some would say: “Pull your navel into your spine.”  That gets it somewhat, but to really isolate it more specifically, Muscle Activation Techniques (MAT) teaches 2 different ways, one for the lower fibers and one for the upper fibers.  Want to try? For the lower fibers, lie on your back with your left knee bent and foot resting on top of your right thigh. Feel the left abdominal area between your pelvic bone and bellybutton. Now lift the left side of your pelvis up and over toward the right side, as if trying to reach your left knee up and over to the corner of the room where the right wall meets the ceiling. Feel it? Now try that on the other side and compare what you feel each way. For the upper fibers, sit on the edge of a chair with your knees straight and feet flat on the floor. Turn your torso to the right as you feel the area contracting between your left ribs and the middle of your belly. Got it? Now reverse it, and again, compare the sensations you notice.

You may be wondering, “What would I notice in my body if the TVA is NOT working properly??”  Well, that is a very good question. Weakness in the TVA can lead to all sorts of issues including lower back pain/tightness, neck pain/tightness, radiating pain/weakness/numbness into the leg(s), inability to reach arms overhead, poor bladder or sexual control, decreased ability to assist a bowel movement, difficulty delivering a baby, poor digestion, and more. Ever experience any of these?

We want to be sure that both sets of fibers on each side of the body are working throughout their full range of motion before we do strengthening exercises, just like any other muscle in the body.  Once we are certain that TVA is working and you can feel the precise areas being isolated, you can perform many different strengthening exercises to target this area. Planks, abdominal curls (“crunches”), torso twists, windmills, burpees, mountain climbers, pelvic tilts, and knee to chest marches, to name a few.

As a Muscle Activation Techniques (MAT) Certified Specialist, I can precisely check your TVA muscles and make sure that they are performing their jobs efficiently. Who knows, maybe we can have a belly laugh or two in the process, to help them along! : )

January 2015 Upper Trapezius

Upper Trapezius

Have you ever felt tightness in your upper shoulders or into your neck? How about a headache at the back of your head, or up the side of your head into your temple? If you answered “Yes”, it is likely that your Upper Trapezius muscle was involved. I will share with you how this muscle works, as well as the easiest and most effective ways to take care of this muscle.  Knowing how your body works can help you to keep your body working well.

Where is Upper Trapezius located?

The Trapezius muscles are appropriately named since each side looks like a trapezoid. The right and left sides together form a diamond shape from the back of the head, out to each of the scapulae, and down to the middle of the back.  The Trapezius muscle consists of 3 sections on each side, the upper, middle, and lower fibers.  This article focuses on the highest portion, known as the Upper Trapezius.

What does Upper Trapezius do for me?

We use our Upper Trapezius to raise our shoulders up to our ears, or “shrug” them.  In addition to supporting the weight of our arms at our side, the Upper Trapezius rotates the shoulder blade upward as we reach forward and overhead.  The Upper Trapezius connects to the base of our skull, and we use it to look up and extend our neck. The left side of the Upper Trapezius rotates our head to the right when it contracts, and vice versa.

Why does my Upper Trapezius get injured or sore?

Overdoing any of the above motions or lifting too heavy a weight may cause this muscle to become strained. Also, cradling a telephone between your ear and shoulder for long periods of time may cause this muscle to become shortened, then tight or painful.

What can I do to keep my Upper Trapezius working well?

As you sit or stand comfortably, try the following activities to feel your Upper Trapezius working on each side of your body. Remember to stay within a pain-free motion.  You can perform each of these a few times to get the circulation moving and feel your muscles working.

1. Raise your shoulders up toward your ears. Relax them down.

2. Look up to the right and bring the left ear toward your left shoulder. Reverse.

3. Keep your elbows straight and raise your arms straight in front of you.

4. Keep your elbows straight and raise your arms out at an angle in front of you.

5. Keep your elbows straight and raise your arms out to the side.

Did you feel your Upper Trapezius muscles working? Great!

How can I strengthen my Upper Trapezius muscles?

If you want a little more strenuous exercise for these muscles, try “Shoulder Shrugs” while holding a weight in each hand. Some other strengthening exercises commonly performed that involve the Upper Trapezius are the “Clean and Jerk”, where a weight is lifted from the floor to the shoulder, then raised straight up overhead. You can also perform “Upright Rows” where you raise a bar, kettlebell or weight in front of your chest as you bend your elbows out to the sides. “Dead lifts” also work your Upper Trapezius as they support the weight of your arms and any extra weight you are lifting in front of you.

As you can see, Upper Trapezius is a very important muscle and has some functions we rely on many times throughout every day.  It is important to make sure your Upper Trapezius is working at it’s best.  

Latissimus Dorsi

Latissimus Dorsi is one of my favorite muscles! The Latin name “Latis” means broad, and “Dorsi” comes from the Latin word dorsum, which means back. This huge muscle connects the arm to the lower back. When Latissimus contracts, it pulls your arm toward your side, allows you to reach behind you, it helps your trunk, ribcage and spine rotate and bend to that side, AND it helps you use your arms to push up from a chair. Wow, that is one very busy and important muscle!! You have likely used the “Lat Pull Down” machine at the gym to build strength and tone up this area. You can also work the Lats by doing Rows, Planks (on your side), pullups, bridges, dead-lifts, and all sorts of exercises with an Exercise Ball. If you have questions about whether any of these exercises are right for you, or if you want to be sure your Lats are working properly, I’d love to help you!

Gluteus Maximus

Gluteus Maximus 

I MUST share some very valuable information to help you avoid the same problems I’ve been helping my clients solve for the past year. As I continue to grow and serve more clients through my independent MAT business, I work 2 days/week as a PT at “Knee Specialists of Wisconsin.” Our clients have advanced stage osteoarthritis in one or both of their knees, are in terrible amounts of pain, and are trying to avoid knee replacement surgery. I use MAT to get to the “bottom” of why my physical therapy client’s joints broke down in the first place, as I help them move better, feel better and live better.

I believe I have identified one of THE key issues affecting 95% of my clients with knee pain and joint deterioration: The Gluteus Maximus muscles, or buttocks, are not working efficiently!
Our Gluteus Maximus muslces are 2 of the largest muscles on our body. As you can see from the picture, the “glutes” begin up in the hip, and they attach to the outside of the knee joint through the Iliotibial band (ITBand). Any of you ever experience tight IT bands?? Well, typically we rely upon our glutes to be the most efficient muscles we use to get up and down from a chair, toilet, or car seat, etc. How many times do you do this each day, each month, each year.....? How do you know you are using your glutes correctly? What do you think happens after years of wear and tear from improperly balanced forces through our important hip and knee joints?

After specifically analyzing the joint and muscular mechanics of my clients, I have found it is more common than I realized that the gluteus muscles are not working properly to balance the forces around our hip and knee joints. Unfortunately, 80% of the jobs today are considered “sedentary” and so most people are sitting on their buttock muscles all day long. The pressure applied can weaken or “inhibit” these muscles from performing their intended function. This is not helping matters!

Our buttocks muscles were not designed to be just a SEAT CUSHION!!!

You are likely wondering, “What can we do about this?” Well, you are in luck. There is hope! I have some helpful and easy to implement strategies for you.

1. While sitting, simply squeeze your cheeks underneath you, press your feet flat into the floor, as you feel yourself rise up a little in your chair (stop giggling, I’m serious! : ) and hold this for 6 seconds, rest 5 seconds and repeat this series 6 times. You can do both sides together or try one at a time.

2. Stand up straight behind the chair, hold the back of the chair with your hands for support, and squeeze your buttocks now. Feel the entire back side of your body begin to come to life again? Great! Contracting your “Glutes” will stimulate a whole chain of muscles to work more efficiently as you engage them, and then your hip flexors will naturally get the message to relax and elongate.
Want more? There are all sorts of great exercises to strengthen the glutes, however we must be sure that the “full circle” of communication between our brain and gluteus muscles is intact before we move on to the strengthening phase. Luckily, it is fairly easy to test all 3 of the different sections of your “glutes” to see which ones are truly working and which ones may be weak. I’m happy to help you make the most of your time in your chair and help to prevent a future of sore and creaky knees.

Let me know how you like these exercises, and what other muscles may be of interest to you to learn more helpful tips to keep them activated!